Air Force dumps the remains of 274 members into a landfill

[Missy]

I agree it's not hard finding someplace better to put undefined remains than a landfill.

[gaggedLouise]

I agree it's not hard finding someplace better to put undefined remains than a landfill.

Even the ashes of the Nuremberg war criminals were spread over a river in southern Germany (though it was done in secret from an airplane and, I reckon, without any ceremony)

[Oniya]

I agree it's not hard finding someplace better to put undefined remains than a landfill.

Even unidentified civilians are given an 'indigent' burial, just on the off-chance that they are later identified.

[Semantics]

Reading that nearly made me physically ill.  It would be disgusting no matter who this was done to, but to retrieve a servicemember's body, ship it home, and then just dump it makes it that much worse.

If they'd saved a million by doing it I'd still feel this way, if just because between scandals and wanting to cut veteran benefits I'd have to wonder where the million went.  Beyond that, you just don't lie to people about something like that.

[RubySlippers]

My father is ex-military and was on duty for a time at the Tomb of the Unknowns so he is disgusted the military should go back to running its own funeral services with a military and hand-picked civilian staff and all the required facilities for cremation or tending the honored dead. He found out the Air Force does this to save money an outsouced contract and it disgusts him to no end they do this.

He pointed out there used to be coordination with the branches family care, clergy and public relations to be sure every soldier was tended to and if they were moved for burial by a local funeral home of the family it was done after initial care. They even had hollywood trained makeup artists there to make a body presentable for viewing if at all possible and it cost money to bring these people in but was often worth it.

Now to save money they let this happen. I'm sure they can find staff in the profession that were or are related to the military services to hire for such work.

[OldSchoolGamer]

Why does this surprise anyone?

The United States of America is a corporate state.  There is no more "honor," only profit margins.  Dead soldiers are a cost center.  This is the government and system we keep voting for.  Correcting this would require us to remove our collective noses from the corporate rectum, and that isn't going to happen with us God-fearing people because that would be SOCIALISM!!!11!11.

[elone]

I am sure it is extremely difficult to sort out and identify body parts and remains after severe trauma on the battlefield. Also, think about all the amputations and what happens to those parts of the anatomy. I would assume they are treated as medical waste, incinerated and disposed of. I doubt that many families request the lost arm or leg.

That being said, certainly remains of war dead, even if just pieces, can be better taken care of than to be dumped in a landfill. The military could at the minimum have a site for the ashes in a cemetery, or scatter them at sea or from the air.

Why am I not surprised that anything done by the government is screwed up. Didn't we learn not too long ago that graves at Arlington National Cemetery, our most hallowed ground for servicemen, have been confused and mislabeled.